Witness the power

Wednesday

Mar 20, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Charity Apple / Times-News

March’s Cook of the Month, Pam Tyler Thompson, will tell you “there’s a lot of power in the cookie.” “Your mouth is the state of your heart,” she said. Whether you’re dealing with a debilitating illness or the regular stress of life, “it’s amazing what a simple gesture can do.” Thompson, of Burlington, has seen it firsthand. As sexual assault response coordinator for CrossRoads Sexual Assault Response & Resource Center’s satellite office in Caswell County, she trains volunteers to deal with crisis calls from victims, something she’s done for two years now. Before that, she worked for Family Abuse Services in Alamance County for four years. “I tell people that we deal with pain all day long, but there’s one thing that unites us all — food,” she said. “When I am heavily stressed at work, I bake. That helps me.” And she brings those goodies to her co-workers, friends and those in need. “It (the job) can get you down, so I try to lift up those people on the front lines who are dealing with this tough stuff — whether it’s folks with the Department of Social Services or our law enforcement officers,” she said. Misty Fleming, a friend who works at Hospice of Alamance-Caswell, had inquired on Facebook whether Thompson would be willing to bake for Hospice patients. Thompson jumped at the chance, and now she has a group of friends who help out as well. “I bake for about 30 people and Misty will get everything delivered,” she said. Thompson considers herself a lot like Food Network cook Sandra Lee — “you give me a box mix and I can work wonders. Food needs to be pretty and taste good, too.” Each holiday, Thompson will whip up goodies for Hospice patients. Her group of friends is currently organizing a project for Easter. She also will enlist the help of her baking friends for a bake sale to benefit Times-News reporter Mike Wilder, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. (That event is set for 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursday, March 28, at the Times-News office, 707 S. Main St., Burlington, and is open to the public. To find out more, email vdavis@thetimesnews.com or (336) 227-0131.) Thompson got to know Wilder through her service with the Alamance-Burlington Board of Education. He would cover the school board meetings and “we just hit it off,” she said. “He’s such a sweet guy.” Before she began baking for Hospice patients, Thompson cooked up creations for her father-in-law, Julian Thompson, who at the time was suffering from cancer. “Through chemotherapy, your taste buds are affected,” she said. “I would try to wake up his taste buds and bake him treats he’d love.” Then, she began baking for her children’s teachers when they were in elementary school and encourages parents to give back to the teachers in the community. “You can’t put a price on time,” she said. “We need to thank the people in the community and we can do that through the simplest things like food.” Pam and her husband, Craig, Alamance County Assistant District Attorney, have three children: Evan, 15; Sophie, 18; and Natalie, 22. An only child, she grew up in Eli Whitney and fondly recalls watching her maternal grandmother in the kitchen. “She could make soup out of barbed wire,” she said with a laugh. “She would make a lot from nothing. She was an amazing cook. And she made the best homemade biscuits and used a can to get the shape of each one.” When she was younger, Thompson said was fascinated with Graham Kerr’s “The Galloping Gourmet” and Julia Child. “I would pretend our spice rack was a cash register and I would have my own restaurant,” she said with a laugh. Nowadays, she just loves bringing smiles to others’ faces. “I have seen with all the baking that I can make a difference. They should try it in Washington, D.C.,” she said with a chuckle.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line with two crisscrossed pieces of parchment, buttering in between and leaving an overhang on all sides; butter the parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter and chocolate. Microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth. Let cool slightly. Whisk in the sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix). Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan. Holding the paper overhang, lift the brownies out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares (four rows by four rows). • Cook’s note: To put brownies over the top, put dollop of Betty Crocker Buttercream icing on each brownie with some crushed Heath bar pieces.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place batter in cupcake paper holders. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into cupcake pan, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes, and cool completely on wire racks. For the frosting: Spread Betty Crocker Strawberry Frosting on top of the cooled cupcakes and add sprinkles and a fresh strawberry. • Cook’s note: It’s simple decorating, but will look like a million dollars.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the heavy cream. Increase the speed to high and beat until thick and stiff, about 2 minutes. Beat in the lemon juice. Spoon graham cracker crumbs into the jars. Top with cheesecake batter, raspberries and jam, alternating red layers with cheesecake batter. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. • Cook’s notes: You can use other fruit (whatever is on sale or whatever you like). This is a cute take on the trifle dessert and you could also put it in a trifle bowl and take it to a potluck supper.

Recipe based on the Desserts In A Jar recipe from Woman’s Day magazine, April 2013